Updated: Horseshoe expansion to cost $24.3 million

Published 10:10 am, Monday, May 13, 2013

Win the lottery. A multi-purpose facility like the Horseshoe can be yours for around $35 million to $40 million.

Win the lottery. A multi-purpose facility like the Horseshoe can be yours for around $35 million to $40 million.

Photo: MRT File Photo

Updated: Horseshoe expansion to cost $24.3 million

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The Horseshoe will get its first major update in seven years at a cost of $24.3 million, according to an announcement made during Monday’s Commissioners’ Court meeting.

The 110,454-square-foot pavilion and the 33,500-square-foot livestock building will be in construction for the next 14 months, said Monte Jamison, the county’s purchasing agent. He said this project should be completed on time because if there is a delay the contractor will have to pay a fee.

In addition to the $24.324 million, which is a guaranteed maximum, $705,000 will be used for contingency and allowance purposes, Jamison said. Contingency is for emergency purposes and allowance is used for items, such as indoor signage, that do not yet have a final cost.

And as construction continues, the county and the contractor will negotiate on ways to decrease the total cost. Jamison estimated that the county could save up to $500,000 by the project’s completion.

Although the agreement with the contractor passed on Monday, it did not pass unanimously. Luis Sanchez, Precinct 3 commissioner, was the only person to vote against it. He said after the meeting that $24.3 million is a lot of money and road maintenance is a much higer priority.

“There are people dying on Interstate 20 and Midkiff Road, Interstate 20 and Rankin highway,” Sanchez said. “The Horseshoe is a great idea, but it shouldn’t be expanded right now.”

Sales tax and hotel and motel tax revenue will fund the project, as previously reported.

Both buildings are planned to meet the growing demand for events in Midland. In 2012, Horseshoe management said it turned away 300 events, 25 more than in 2011, mostly because there were not enough open dates, said Mike Dooley, president of Dooley Management Co. Another reason why the Horseshoe lost events is because it was originally meant for livestock or other types of shows that require dirt. This caused dirt to be moved to and from the arena floor, taking up days that could have been used for events.

“We’ve been looking for several years for an expansion as demand grew,” Dooley said.

Gary Vandergriff, principal of Vandergriff Group Architects, presented the pavilion’s design plans to the commissioners on Monday. The pavilion, planned to be built east of the existing building, has a multi-use space that can accommodate up to three simultaneous events. One of the examples of divided space Vandergriff showed onscreen was a basketball court taking up one-third of the space and a lecture with seating taking up the remaining two-thirds.

The open-air livestock building, designed to be built in the northwest corner of the facility, will feature 180 stalls, which then allows the existing livestock building to be used as an indoor arena.

The contractor will begin work this morning, the start of their 440-day time limit, Jamison said.